Angelic Layer: Angels and Oni
by A2E
Summary: Do you like happy endings? I don’t. Set 20 years after the anime series, the world has fallen into chaos and only one former champion can save it… But will she? [Roughly 50 percent complete]
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own anything related in any way to Angelic Layer. I am only borrowing this anime's characters for my story; I plan on giving them back when I am done. This Disclaimer applies to the entire story of _'Angelic Layer: Angles and Oni'_ and this is the last place you are going to see it.

Okay now that we have that out of the way I can start talking about this piece of fan fiction. This story is based off of the anime version of _Angelic Layer_ with maybe a piece of the manga thrown in here are there for good taste. If you have only read the manga you should know that there are some differences and you may not understand this story. Also, I have never seen the dubbed version of this anime, so I may make some occasional references that may not have carried through to the English language version. I don't imagine this is any big deal but if you read something that seems out of place remember that this may be the cause.

Now its time for a little background on this story, if you really hate introductions you can go ahead and skip to the story now; but I wouldn't recommend it. As you start to read you may notice this is a little bit darker then most '_Angelic Layer' _ fics tend to be, and there is good reason for this. I first watched this series in spring of this year (2005) right after I had a little 'mishap' with my back. For two entire months I couldn't walk or even sit up, I can easily say this is the worst pain I have ever felt, give me kidney stones any day!

As any self respecting Otaku who couldn't leave his bed would do, I watched anime. A whole lot of anime. After watching Angelic Layer I thought to my self _Wow, what a great show! But why are they so happy? I bet they wouldn't be so happy if they couldn't walk, and had to miss JACON too! _ So thanks to insomnia and prescription narcotics '_Angelic layer: Angels and Oni'_ was born.

I planed from the beginning to make this fic about 20,000 words long, but I only got about 9000 words done before my back starting getting better. After I could start doing things on my own again this fic became low on my list of things to do. So for months it just sat on my hard drive, until now. I have proofread what I had done and started to add new content, with your support I hope to have this story done in no time! Please feel free to leave comments, just please make sure they are constructive. If you think I suck that is your opinion, but please tell me how to make my work better.

Now, what are you waiting for? Go read the story!

Jamie


	2. Prologue

**Prologue:**

Suzuhara Misaki peered down at the piece of polished granite in front of her feet as brilliant reds and yellows from the horizon danced across its shinny surface. A familiar sadness set in as she read inscription for what seemed to be the thousandth time. Her grip tightened with each word she read, when the small figure in her hand could take no more it cried out the only way it could, with a harsh metallic snap.

"I'm sorry Hikaru." Misaki said as the sound snapped her out of trance. She turned the ragged doll over in her hand and inspected for damage. "I really wish I could take better care of you." It only took her several seconds to find the offending spring and slip it back onto its post. "But I am afraid it would be of little use." With a sigh she once again focused her attention on the tomb stone, and reads the inscription to herself:

_Here Lies Mihira Shuuko and Her Angel Athena  
Though Her Time on this World was Short  
She will Always be Remembered as a  
Loyal Wife, Caring Mother and  
A True Champion_

_May the Light of Her Soul Guide us All._

Several years ago it would have been impossible to read the inscription with the naked eye this late at night, but Misaki's shock of this had long since faded. She looked into the burning horizon sighed again.

"It won't be long now Hikaru." Carefully turning around her wheelchair Misaki began the long trek back home.


	3. Battle 01

**Angelic Layer: Angels and Oni**

**By: Jamie Varney**

**Battle 01: Home**

Mihara Ichirou had accomplished some great things in his life, but none of them have ever given him the feeling of pride that was swelling in him at the moment. It took three years of back-breaking work on a rigorous daily schedule, but today was the day all his hard work paid off. The hardest part was keeping it all a secret, Misaki is a very bright girl, and under no circumstances could he let her know what he had planed. Now the only thing left to do was wait.

oooooooooooooooo

"Tadaima!" Misaki said as she entered the house and removed her shoes. Today had been a very long day, and Misaki was quite tired. Like most days she spent her time scavenging for parts for Ichirou, and like most days she came home empty handed.

"Ichirou?" She yelled into the back room, "you there? Ichirou!"

_He must be caught up in his work again _She thought to herself. _I may as well go ahead and get dinner ready for him. _Misaki wheeled her way into the kitchen and started to gather the pots and pans she would need to prepare dinner. Food was scares these days, but thanks to her husband she was able to cook some meat at least twice a week. After gathering her materials she moved over to the rice steamer and opened the lid.

"Icchan is here!" A mass of white goo shot up out of the cooker and qucikly took the shape of Ichirou standing on the counter.

"NYAAAHHH!" Misaki screamed as she rolled her chair backward, directly into the table full of pans; her face never releasing from her classic childlike look of shock. Ichirou erupted into a fit of laughter over her expression, after all this is what he had worked so hard for all these years.

"Three years!" Deep breath, "It took me three hard years!" Holding his sides Icchan fell to the floor with laughter, "And after all that time, it was well worth it to see that look on your face again!"

Regaining her composure Misaki rolled her chair forward and looked down at Icchan's convulsing body.

"Seriously Ichirou don't you think you are a little old to be playing these childish tricks?" Icchan's body instantly stiffened as he shot to his feet. His expression was a practiced one, the same one that he had often used to frighten his underlings.

"And aren't you a little old to be rolling around in that chair of yours?" Even though Misaki had long since gotten used to Ichirou's menacing expression, something about his tone of voice gave her goose bumps. This shook her up enough that she dropped her bravado and reverted back to the shy girl she is at heart.

"Well… Ummo… You see…" She stuttered, "You know I need it to…"

"Don't give me that young lady! Right there in the next room is a set of prosthetic legs, just like your mothers. No! Better then your mothers! Do you really think she wants you to go through your life with the same disability she did?" Fury began building in Misaki's eyes and he knew it. It had been a long time since they had this particular conversation, but none the less he knew how it was going to end all to well.

"What does it matter anyway! How long do you think we have Ichirou? A month? Maybe a year?" Misaki's eyes began to glisten over over as she talked. "We are both going to be back with Mom soon anyway! Why don't you just let me live out my days the way I want to!" With that Misaki lowered her head and let her tears fall into her lap.

Icchan lowered himself down to one knee and placed his hand on the side of Misaki's face. "Don't speak like that Misaki" Icchan said softly while wiping her tears away. "While we will both rejoin your mother someday, trust me when I say it's not going to be for a very long time." After several minuets Misaki's sobbing grew low.

"How do you know?" She whispered "How do you know for sure?"

"Because you are my daughter… And I have faith in you."

oooooooooooooooo

_How the hell do I let her talk me into these things?_ Kotarou thought to himself as he dodged yet another talon intended for his face. The demon continued toward him slashing with its vicious claws, completely intent on making his innards not live up to their name. Kotarou continued to dodge when he could and block when he must to fend of the beast, but he knew he would soon be backed into a wall, and that was something he was not looking forward to.

Over the past five years Kotarou had served with many good men, he had also watched most of them die. When Koratou first joined the force it was hard for him to accept that he was going to be killing for a living, even if they weren't human. But his attitude changed quickly when he saw a demon kill a man for the first time, it was so cold… so ruthless… At that point he decided to dedicate his entire mind, body and soul to protecting the human race, and he never looked back. Now after years of being known as 'the luckiest man in the war' it seemed that he was finally going to meet his end. But even at such a bleak time Kotarou couldn't help but laugh at the irony, he always knew he was going to die a violent death, most soldiers do, but he always thought it would be at the hands of his wife.

"Get off him you bastard!" Before Kotarou even had a chance to find the source of the voice, he seen an arm wrap around the monsters neck from behind and a leg wrap around its ankles to knock it off balance. And then with a sickening snap the monster went limp. After using her mass the swing the creature out of the way Tamayo turned back giving Kotarou a victory sign… and a nice little jiggle from her skin tight shirt.

_Ah, now I remember how I let her talk me into these things now._

"You alright Kotarou? Look's like it got you pretty good" She said while inspecting his wounds.

"When you're around I know I have nothing to worry about. By the way, what was that you did to that demon? Don't tell me that you learned a new form of martial arts in the half hour since I last seen you!" He said in a playful voice.

"Nah, nothing new. Just some Akido."

"No way in hell that's Akido!" he said as he slowly sat down to inspect his wounds for himself.

"Sure it is! I just did it a little backwards…" Tamayo said while taking a few steps closer to him.

Kotarou gave her a look showing that he didn't believe a word of it.

"And rather then using his arm I used its neck… Anyway, the important thing is that he didn't tear you up to bad." She said as she dropped down and sat in his lap, kotarou winced at the added weight. "Oh you think that's bad huh? Just wait 'till tonight!"

Even through the pain Kotarou couldn't help but smile in anticipation.

oooooooooooooooo

Though she didn't understand why Misaki felt a lot better after letting out all her bottled up emotions last night. Nothing had changed, not really; there was still a good chance that she and every other human being would be dead by the end of the week. Then again she trusted Icchan and he had faith, not just faith in himself, or faith in god, but faith in her. Whether she believed herself or not, Icchan believes that she can save the world.

Once upon a time Misaki had faith in herself, it even led her to winning three consecutive Angelic Layer championships. But as she grew older she began to understand the error of her childish ways; of course age and size matter, and just having friends doesn't mean everything is going to be alright. Sometimes it takes more to get ahead in the 'real world,' and most of the time it takes more then any one person can handle.

"Ah, there you are!" Ichirou said as he walked into storage room, "I was wondering where you had got off to after we finished in the garden." Ichirou looked around at he stacks of junk that had accumulated over the years, turning there once guest room into nothing more then a storage area. He then shifted his gaze down at Misaki who was sitting on the floor.

"Yeah, I was just… I was kinda hoping to find my old sewing stuff." She said while fiddling with the doll in her hands. "Hikaru's gettin' a little ragged and I thought…"

"I see." Ichirou said in an even voice, "Why don't you let me take a look at her."

Misaki handed him the doll and watched as he gave it a thorough inspection, just as he had done the first time he as seen the angel all those years ago. While Misaki didn't have much faith in herself, she was looking at one of the two people left in this world she trusts without question.

The day Oujirou left Ichirou made solemn vow to care for Misaki until he returned; and he always stayed true to his word. There had been many days that there wasn't enough food, and despite her greatest rejections Icchan always gave up his portion to misaki, he usually used the excuse, "I am to busy to eat." Or, "I have a summer flu, the food would go to waste if I ate it just to regurgitate it 10 minuets later!" Misaki never once believed his excuses, but she knew that no matter what she did he wasn't going to eat it anyway, and there is no point in letting good food go to waste.

"I will tell you what," Icchan said while removing Hikaru's clothing, "You find you needle and thread to fix her clothes, and I will take Hikaru down to my lab and fix her up best I can."

"Thank you Icchan!" She said brightly, before a wave of realization came over her. "But don't you have more important things to do?"

"Nonsense! Keeping my daughter slash sister-in-law happy is my only reason for living!" He said in the over-the-top manor he is known for. "Anyway, Hikaru is going to need to be in good shape so you can practice with her." Ichirou said in an I-know-something-you-don't tone, and walked out of the room.

Misaki just sat there staring after him, with a clear expression of shock on her face.

oooooooooooooooo

For as long as Tamayo could remember she always loved cheering her friends on, whether it be on the layer or the battlefield. An odd silence loomed as Tamayo took a minute to inspect the faces of the thirty men and woman who sat in front of her, and in her heart she knew that there isn't a single one of them she wouldn't call 'friend'. Taking a deep breath she laid her hands on the lectern and began.

"Five years ago the military assembled an elite strategic group known as 'The Force'. Over one-hundred men and women were chosen to join, and I am honored to say that I fought by the side of every one of them!" Tamayo paused just long enough to make eye contact with Kontarou, from the expression on his face she must be doing good. "Day after day we have fought our enemy, and while we may not know where they came from we do know where they are going!" She paused for a split second to build tension. "Straight to hell!"

A barrage of yells filled the room as the soldiers shouted and cheered in unison. Tamayo took a second to bask in her men's enthusiasm before continuing.

"Our group alone has killed more of those oni bastards then any other four teams put together! And it's not going to end there!" Tamayo was impressed with her men, she had given dozens of these speeches over the years; and while the number of men in the room dropped each time, their willingness to fight only seemed to rise. "As you all know yesterday's offensive was a complete success, we were able to cleanse the entire Yamagata Prefecture of the demon scum! And thanks to our efforts AWDF was able to extend the static shield another fifty kilometers! We have regained control of over seventy percent of Japan!"

Tamayo grinned as she waited for the cheers to die down once again. Everyone in the room knew what to expect next, it was always the same, congratulate them on a job well done, and send them off on the next mission.

"As I am sure you all have know new orders came in this morning; and without a doubt I believe that these are the most important orders we have ever received! And as always I expect every one of you to follow them without question!" Tamayo glanced back at husband and noticed the slight grin on his face, "Go home, rest, we all get one week off. Thats an order!" With a sly grin she looked at Kontarou and added, "Enjoy you time off, I know I will."

The reaction among the crowed was mixed, some of the soldiers were thrilled they were getting a break, while others were pissed that they were going to have to go an entire week without kicking some ass. But the most common reaction from the majority of the men, and even some of the women, was jealously over the look Tamayo was giving Kontarou.

Kontarou remained seated until the room cleared out. Getting to his feet he started toward his wife, but without warning he found himself in a very painful arm bar.

"Your speech was good." Kontarou gritted out though the pain. Shifting his weight slightly and moving his arm up and over he managed to force his wife into a headlock from behind. "I think you need to give your writer a bonus."

With a slight grunt Tamayo dropped to one knee and flipped Kontarou onto the floor in front of her. "I don't know about a bonus." She said as she slowly sat down, startling her husband. "But I do plan on giving him a 'raise.'"

A heavy blush came across Kontarou's face as Tamayo began running her hands down the front of his uniform. In one quick movement Kontarou gently but firmly grabbed his wife's hands, and slid her onto his lap as he sat up.

"What are we going to do?" He said.

"What do you mean? I know it has been a few hours, but I don't think you would have forgotten how to…" Kontarou quickly cut her off before she could finish.

"That's not what I mean!" he said defensively. "I'm talking about this vacation, what are we going to do? We have no place to go. Besides, while we may be pushing those god forsaken demons back, we are still losing the war!"

Sighing Tamayo said, "That's exactly why we need this vacation, we both know there is someone we need to see before those bastards kill us all. Lets take this week to heal some old wounds."

Before he knew what hit him Kontarou was flat on his back once again.

oooooooooooooooo

"What do you mean that I am off the team! It's my god damn project!" Oujirou could count on one hand the number of times in his life he had truly been mad, now it looked like he was going to move on to his other hand.

"Listen Mihara-san, I did you a favor." Said Nagi Matta, the Advanced Weapons Force leader. "You did me a favor? The static shield was my creation! I have been working with the ADWF on it since the day I graduated high school! For god's sake three years ago I left my home, and my wife to work on it full time!" The expression on Oujirou's face was completely unnatural, even his emerald hair looked as if it were shaking from anger.

"That's my point exactly! You have sacrificed more for this program then any man should." Nagi removed his glasses and began to clean the lenses. "As you know we extended the shield yesterday to encompass the Yamagata Prefecture." Sighing Nagi continued. "It was a bust."

Calming down slightly Oujirou asked him what he meant.

"That whole 'reclaiming Japan' bullshit is pure propaganda, who cares if we take back another city? That just means that we have more area to guard and less man power to do it. And the whole time those demons out there multiplying at an ungodly speed."

Oujirou had always considered himself to be intelligent, but not once in the six months since the shield expansion campaign started had he ever questioned their reasons. Nothing made sense anymore. "Okay, why have we been doing this then? And what the hell does it have to do with firing me?" Oujirou asked

"Oil. Gas. Petrol. Eighty percent of our power is based off of fossil fuels! And our reserves are running low, that why we kept expanding the shield, we were hoping to find fuel stashed somewhere. But this last expansion was all we could handle, we didn't even find enough gas to cover the power we used."

A shocked Oujirou leaned back against the hard cinder block wall and tried to gather he thoughts.

"I can see how this is a serious problem, but I still don't understand what it has to do with me."

"You said it yourself Oujirou-kun," Nagi's voice was much softer and kinder now. "Without you we would have no shield, and none of us would be here right now. You have a wife at home that you haven't seen in years, go be with her; after all we only have a 10 days until we run out of gas and the shield drops…"

oooooooooooooooo

"I don't know if I can do this…" Misaki held the familiar headset in her hand as if it were a snake that could strike at any moment.

"Sure you can!" Icchan said in an encouraging voice. "Angelic layer is just like riding a bike, and you haven't forgot how to ride a bike have you."

Ichirou flowed Misaki's gaze as it fell to her lap. _Damn it Ichirou, she's a paraplegic! Could you have said anything more stupid?_

"gomen dasai! I didn't mean to… Anyway your not going to let yourself get your ass kicked by an old man like me are you?"

Ichirou took a seat at the opposite end of table and opened a small wooden box he had sitting near by. From the box he pulled out an angel that Misaki recognized immediately, SI-1754. The same angel icchan used to nearly knock her out of her first tournament, the same angel that allowed her and Ochirou to work together for the first time.

"I am sure that you remember Hoshi."

"Hoshi?" Misaki asked weakly.

"That's what I named her, she is my star after all. Sounds much better then SI-1754, don't you think?" Misaki nodded and shifted her gaze to the layer in front of her for the first time.

The layer itself was small and patched together. The normally glowing white surface was now almost grey from microscopic stress cracks. The sides of they layer were riddled with parts and pieces that were salvaged from other machines and wire-wrapped together. The entire table was nothing but well placed rubbish. _And yet somehow it works, _Misaki thought to herself. _Much like our lives._

Deciding it would be easier if he went first Icchan drew his arm back and launched his angel onto the layer.

"In all the heavens, and all the earth, nothing burns so brightly as my shooting star! Angel, fall in!"

As Hoshi crossed the threshold of the layer she gracefully twisted her body resembling a sky diver in freefall. Her speed seemed to grow exponentially as she approached the oncoming layer. Misaki gasped when she heard the thud of the angel hitting the surface; but thanks to years of dust that became airborne upon Hoshi's impact Misaki was unable to tell if there was any damage. As the dust cleared the outline of the angel suddenly became clear. She was simply crouched down with one hand and knee on the ground. Slowly Hoshi righted herself into a full standing position.

"It's your turn." Icchan said in a voice that was friendly but firm.

Misaki nodded and tossed Hikaru into the layer.

"Wings of an angel, please guide me and Hikaru. Angel Fall in." Misaki said quite limply.

As Hikaru made the transition into the layer her movements resembled those of a rookie rather then those of a three time world champion. Even Hikaru's landing was less then impressive. she could barley stand on her own two feet.

_This is bad_, Ichirou thought to himself. _She has a complete lack of confidence in both Hikaru and herself. This is going to be tough._

"Don't give me that 'I don't remember how' routine; I'm not going to fall for it, not from the 'Miracle Rookie.'" Icchan said with a slight smirk, "I'm not going to go easy on you."

_Calm down. Concentrate. Focus on Hikaru. _Misaki thought to herself. _Just like a bike… _

Very slowly Hikaru regained her balance and posture. Before Misaki even had a chance smile Hoshi charged across the layer and landed a kick straight into Hikaru's ribs. Hikaru droped to a kneeling position from the kick, but quicky tried to use it to her advantage by moving straight into a legsweep. Nearly caught off guard Hoshi tried to jump backward out of the way of Hikaru's leg, and failed. After tumbling for several centimeters Hoshi returns to her feet, and stares across the layer at a now standing Hikaru.

"Not bad." Icchan said to Misaki while never letting his eyes leave the layer. "I am going to have to remember to watch out for that speed of yours."

"Just luck. It's always been just luck."

"Do you really think luck has anything to do with it here on the layer?" Icchan said semi-quoting one of his favorite movies. "Do you think that is air that you are breathing now?"

Misaki's head snapped up from the fight to look at Icchan.

"What?" She asked, very confused.

The slight distraction was all that Ichirou needed to rush Hikarou and deliver a devastating uppercut. Misaki gasped as she watched her life meter drop to half.

"That was a dirty trick! Twenty years ago you would have never done such a thing!" Misaki yelled across the layer.

"Your right, twenty years ago I wouldn't have, but I've changed. People change. And if you haven't noticed the world's changed. You're going to have to get used t- HEY!"

Misaki giggled as Hikaru delivered a flying kick to the small of Hoshi's back. A tear nearly fell from Icchan's eye as Hoshi's life fell to the same level as Hikaru's.

"You weren't supposed to learn the lesson that fast! Oh well, I still have plenty more lessons to g—HEY!"

oooooooooooooooo

"Do you think is alright? You know, just showing up like this?" Kotarou asked while closely keeping his eyes on the road ahead. Driving could be quite hazardous these days since there were no organizations left to repair the roads.

"Sure! Why wouldn't it be? We haven't seen Misaki and Oujirou in years! Who knows, they may have a couple of litte rug-rats by now!" Tamayo answered.

"You know the last time we didn't exactly part under the best conditions…"

It had been Five years since Shuuko's funeral; it was a very hard day for all, especially Misaki and Ichirou. Hundreds of mourners showed up for the death of "the Mother of Angelic Layer," and millions more from around the world held their own private ceremonies honoring her life. It was quite possibly one of the most beautiful funerals ever conceived, until one heckler opened his mouth. A self proclaimed 'Angelic Layer hotshot' named Santaru Junichi started ranting about how she was 'better off dead, she was a has-been anyway.'

For first twenty-six years of her life thoughts of violence had never even crossed Misaki's mind; Junichi changed that. Misaki had charged her way though the crowd and knocked Junichi on his back with a single well placed punch. No one blamed her for this; he did deserve it after all. But Misaki didn't stop there dropping to the ground she landed punch after punch to baka's face. By the time Kotarou and Tamayo reached Miskai she had already beaten Junichi unconscious, they had no choice but to pull her off. Still furious Misaki lashed out at the two for stopping her, saying if they were really her friends they would have not stopped her. At this point Oujirou finally made his way to his wife and tried to calm her down, he asked the two to leave them alone for a while… That was the last time they ever seen their best friends.

Kotarou and Tamayo fully planed to go see her again the following day, but Tamayo was recalled into emergency service only hours later. Kotarou went with her to a military base in the far northern part of Japan, reports started coming in from all over the world about strange beasts. Within a year there were so many demons terrorizing the world the U.N. officially declared war on the Oni. The Japanese military started recruiting anyone willing, and Kotarou decided to join. The only time that kotarou and Tomayo had seen Misaki since was on a news broadcast several weeks after the funeral when she offered a public apology to Junichi, and declared that she was no longer going to make public appearances related to Angelic Layer. She was retiring.

Snapping back to reality Tamayo picked up where their conversation left off. "I know, we should have made the time to see her before this, but we didn't and there is noting we can do about it." Tamayo said regretfully. "But that's why we are going now. The world may be doomed, but I'll be damned if I'll let our friendship be too!"

oooooooooooooooo

The last half of Misaki and Ichirou's battle took much longer then the first. It was a game of small hits and little damage, but each small hit added up. With one final blow Hoshi managed to knock Hikaru out of the layer.

"Hoshi Win!"

Misaki and Icchan both snapped their heads around to see who had been secretly watching them; a wicked smile came across Ichirou's face when he seen who it was.

"Ogata-kun, it would seem that you are three minuets late. You know what that means!"

"No chief please! I was here early I swear! I just didn't want to interrupt your game!" Ogata said while dropping to his knees and assuming the classic begging position.

After thinking about it for a few seconds Ichirou decided that Ogata was probably telling the truth, and sighed.

"Fine, but I am saving these for next time." He said sitting down the pantyhose and the can of shaving cream he had seemed to pull from nowhere. "Let's get down to the lab, we have a lot of work to do. And Misaki?"

"Yes?" Misaki chirped.

"You can take the day off, I have everything I need for now." With that Ichirou and Ogata walked through the heavy metal door leading to his lab.

Misaki shook her head clear of haze that had gathered there over the last several minuets and rolled her chair over to pick up Hikaru. After inspecting Hikaru for damage she carefully cleaned up the layer and put Hoshi back into her wooden box. Satisfied that everything was in its place she rolled her chair in front of the door that lead to Icchan's lab and lost herself in deep thought.

_What could he be doing down there? _She wondered to herself, _and what does it have to do with making me play Angelic Layer again? _In the years leading up to her mother's death Misaki had all but given up Angelic Layer. Sure she had made the occasional appearance at conventions, and she even practiced in private, but she felt that it was the younger generation who deserved to compete.

After her temporary lapse at her mothers funeral, and the unwanted media attention it brought Misaki decided it would be for the best publicly announce her retirement. In all the years since Misaki had never let Hikaru out of her sight, but always knew that she would never get to bring her to life again. That was until this morning, something about the tone of Ichirou's voice when he told her she was going to play compelled her. She didn't know why, but their match today was important, and it all had to do with what was behind that large metal door…

oooooooooooooooo


	4. Battle 02

**Battle 02: In the Air**

Oujirou sat looking out the windshield of the small single prop plane that was taking him back to civilization. The static shield glistened green in front of him, while the distant skyline burned a soft orange. Most of the people who lived within the shield knew that it protected them from the demons, but what most of them didn't know was that it also protected them from the harsh radiation that saturated most of the earth.

One year ago the war between the humans and the demons reached a critical turning point; the point where they out numbered us. The Germans and Americans jointly created what they called the 'N-Bomb.' Conceptually it is very similar to a classic Atom Bomb but with one important difference, the entire device is encased in a newly devolved form of carbon nanotubes. This new design was intended to cut down on the destruction radius of the bomb while generating a compression wave that is lethal to any living organism over a several mile area.

The first bombs were only dropped in the most rural parts of the world that had a fairly high concentration of Oni, and they worked perfectly. Eventually they started dropping the bombs closer and closer to civilization hoping to regain the upper hand. Soon they were dropping bombs on their own uninhabited cities, and on cites in other country's who requested help. For a while it looked like the battle was over and the demons just didn't know it yet. That was until the unexpected happened.

It started with the first drop sites, the effected area started to emit high level's of microwave radiation, and to the worlds horror it begun to spread, until every last drop site had became lethal. The ironic part being that the demons almost seemed to thrive on the radiation, causing them to reproduce at a far greater rate.

Luckily it was about this time that Oujirou and his team managed to erect the static shield around a good portion of Japan, saving them from the same fate as the rest of the world. The Japanese government tried their best to distribute the technology to the rest of the world, but as of six months ago no contact has been established with anyone outside Japan, they are all presumed to be dead. Since that time the radiation levels have only grown, turning the world into a barren, burning, demon infested wasteland.

"Were coming up on the first shield now boss." The Pilot said to Oujirou.

Another thing that most people don't realize is that there are really four shields. When Oujirou was first recruited to adapt his static shield for defense purposes he thought it would be a simple task, he was wrong. In the real world it turned out to unfeasible to generate a static shield large enough to encompass a city from a central location. Eventually it was decided that several external generators were necessary to generate a shield of that magnitude; so three generators were painstakingly built and placed around Japan. Once activated the generators not only combined their power to protect the land, but also projected a fields to protect each other. In the end four individual shields were created to stand as one.

"Everything looks good here, just head right on through." Oujirou replied.

One of the biggest problems with the shield system was trying travel between them. A plane properly equipped with the right paneling can pass through the shields quite easily. Unfortunately once on the outside of the shild the demons become a huge problem. Only an estimated three percent of the oni can fly, but with a couple billion oni on the planet that still made for a hell of a lot of them with wings.

"Stay sharp, we don't want any of those bastards sneaking up on us."

It only takes four minuets to pass between shields, but it is usually a very tense four minuets. Both men stared out the cockpit window intently watching for any sign of movement.

"How long we have?" Oujirou asked without even so much as blinking.

"About two min—SHIT! Over there!" The pilot smashed his finger against the windshield of the small plane indicating the direction the oni was coming from.

"I guess they didn't have to sneak up on us after all." Oujirou said while handing the pilot an oxygen mask. "You know the drill, try and keep away from him until we can make it through the shield."

The pilot made and audible gulp and replied.

"Yes boss."

Immediately the plane started moan as the pilot began evasive maneuvers. For several seconds Oujirou thought that demon may have just passed them by, but he quickly realized he was wrong when he felt the beast slam into the side of the plane.

"How long 'till the shield?" Oujirou asked while checking the interments himself. "If he busts up our grounding plates it's going to hurt like hell when we hit the field!"

"Roughly one minute." The pilot said. "They don't pay me enough to do this shit."

A loud thud came from beneath oujirou's feet. And another… And another…

"It's trying to bust though!" The pilot yelled.

"Really? Thanks for telling me." Oujirou replied in a sarcastic tone that he rarely used. "Just get us though the shield, that's your only concern right now."

Just as Oujirou finished his sentence the beast arm violently busts through the bulkhead just behind their seats.

"And they wonder why I want magic powers!"

Grabbing a piece of shrapnel Oujirou attempts fend off the attacking oni, but his efforts are wasted. The far stronger oni easily slaps Oujirou aside like a rag doll, and continues to pull itself farther into the plane.

Slouched down beside the copilots seat the only thing keeping Oujirou conscious are the memories of his wife. Every memory from they first time they 'danced together' at the Piffal Princess to the last time they made love played in his mine. _I love this feeling I get when I am with her. _He thought to himself. _So tingly and warm.. But something not right… This is not love I am feeling, but it still feels familiar… It feels like… Static!_

Leaping back to his feet Oujirou could see that they were only meters from the shield, and the demon had fully pulled itself into the plane. Apparently the pilot must have been armed as he was now filling the demon with lead. However the tiny pistal did little more then to piss off the demon.

"I haven't spent all these years away from my wife just so you could kill me you sonava-bitch!" Using pure willpower Oujirou took a flying leap forcing the beast about halfway back through the hole it created in the floor. Timing is everything, and Oujirou had his just right, because at that very moment they passed through the shield. The ground plating on the plane allowed most of electricity to pass though the shield unaffected, but unfortunately for the demon the bottom half of its body was outside the ground plating. Upon impact with the shield the bottom half of the demons body came to a dead stop while the top half continued on with the relative motion of the plane. Not even an Oni can survive being ripped in two.

While passing through the shield proved fatal for the demon Oujirou didn't fare well from the experience either. Through the damaged bulkhead large arcs of electricity bathed the inside of the plane, knocking Oujirou unconscious.

Typically being unconscious has both advantages and disadvantages, and this time was no different. In this situation the primary disadvantage being that Oujirou had no way of knowing that the pilot was also unconscious, and that he was bleeding profusely from an oni inflicted wound. On the other hand being unconscious spared him from knowing the fear of being in a plane that is about to impact the ground…

oooooooooooooooo

As much as Misaki hated not being able to walk, rarely did she consider herself being disabled; there were even times when she had considered it a gift. For many years her mother had to cope with not being able to walk, and now Misaki was getting a first hand look at what she had to deal with, and oddly enough it almost made her feel closer to her mother. But the one chore she found to be he hardest with her disability was tending the garden.

Since Icchan let her off the hook scavenging for parts today, she decided that this would be a good time to catch up on weeding the garden. As the war spread across the world, and most food production facilities were destroyed gardening had became a necessity. Misaki considers herself to be one of the luckiest people alive; since money no longer has any value once a month she receives a shipment of frozen meat, as payment for her husbands hard work. She liked to believe that with each shipment she received it was further proof that her husband was still alive, even if she had no way to contact him.

Misaki took a second to wipe the sweat from her brow and take a much needed drink of water. Using a wheel chair in a garden was no easy task, that why Icchan had devised a small 'creeper' system to help her get around. Running from the house to the garden and between each row of vegetables Icchan laid two foot path of concrete. So when Misaki worked in the garden she just leaves her Wheelchair inside the house and gets down onto her small board with wheels she dubbed "the creeper". She then navigates her way around the garden pushing herself around with her arms. The system was crude, but in the end it kept them feed.

Out of nowhere a large mass slams into Misaki's back and pull's here backwards into the dirt. She would have known for sure that her life was over at the very moment, if it wasn't for the one thing that told her otherwise, the yelling of something she had not heard in a very long time…

"Misakichi!" Tamayo yelled at the top of her lungs. "You look so cute working out here in your little garden, I knew I shoulda made you my wife!"

"Tamayo." Kotarou said catching her attention. Tamayo immediately stopped rolling around in the dirt and looked at her husband. Kotarou simply nodded toward Misaki. Following his gaze Tamayo looked down at the pissed expression of the woman she held in her arms.

"Ahh! Gomen!" Tamayo yelled as she quickly helped Misaki back up into a sitting position. Kotarou sat down in the lotus position in front of Misaki and Tamayo followed suit.

"Were sorry.." Kotarou started. "For everything that happened… Were sorry for never contacting you after…" Misaki interrupted before he had a chance to finish.

"Kotarou… Tamayo…" Misaki said in her most serious voice. "The only thing I have to say to you is… I've missed you guys!" She said pushing herself over and taking both of them to the ground in a big hug.

After lots of laughing and a little crying, the three old friends regained their composure.

"What do you say that we go inside and do some catching up?" Misaki asked. Both of them nodded in the affirmative she decided that now would be as good as time as any to break the news to them.

"Could you just do me one favor first?" she asked.

"Anything!" they both replied in unison.

"Go up to the house and get my wheelchair."

"WHEELCHAIR?"

oooooooooooooooo

Ichirou and Ogata started down at the monitor on the desk in front of them waiting for the computer to give them the final results. It seemed to take an eternity. Finally the English words: "Test Complete, Sync-ratio 98.3" Started flashing on the screen.

"It works!" Ogata yelled, while dancing around the lab.

"What exactly are you so happy about?"

Ogata froze mid-dance and for the first time noticed the expression on his bosses face. It seemed to be etched from stone.

"Because you said we would be done once we got it near 100?" He said as a question and not a reply.

"We need it perfect, not 'near perfect' we need 100"

"But you said…"

"Doesn't matter wait I said, 98 is not good enough. But we are going to need Misaki's help to get any farther." And with an evil grin he added, "Now go get the pantyhose and shaving cream!"

"Yes boss."

oooooooooooooooo

"That's why my mom left me when I was a child." Misaki stated as a cold fact.

After getting Misaki her wheelchair the three old friends had all went into the house and sat down around the kitchen table.

"I don't understand." Tamayo said. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Being slightly more perceptive about these things Kotarou already knew what she was talking about.

"She knew…" He whispered.

"That right, she knew I was going to end up like this. She knew that it was genetic. That's why she left; she didn't me to watch her go through the pain I would have to suffer with myself." Misaki waited several seconds for what she said to sink in before continuing, "That's why when she met Icchan she wanted to help him. Not so that she could walk again, but so that I would have a chance. But that was before Angelic Layer. Because of that game she understood that her legs weren't the real issue, her family was. And, well, you know the rest."

Tamayo and Kotarou just sat at the table stunned, of all the homecoming scenarios they had pictured in their minds this was definitely not one of them.

"When did you find out?" Kotarou asked as delicately as possible.

"Mom told me on her deathbed; it was the second to last thing she ever said… I guess that's why I got so mad at her funeral, not because I knew I was destined to be handicapped, but because I knew what she had done for me. When that guy made fun of her I lost it. I know in the heat of the moment I may have said and done some nasty things to you, and I apologize." Misaki took a deep breath, and instantly she looked as if a large weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "After that I decided that if I didn't have the ability to control myself in public then I had no business control an angel on the layer."

"We know." Tamayo said. "We seen your press release soon after we left. We wanted to get back in touch with you, but the timing was just too bad…"

"Don't apologize!" Misaki nearly shouted. "I know you were busy saving our asses out there! If it weren't for you two and Oujirou I know we wouldn't be here."

"Where is old Oujirou anyway?" Tamayo asked while glancing around the house. "He working today?"

"You could say that." Misaki replied. "As a matter of fact, he has been working for the past three years. After the first Oni attacks he was placed in charge of the entire static shield defensive team. His amazing talents have kept us safe for years."

Tamayo's eyes got real wide as she heard what Misaki was saying. She obviously couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Are you telling me…" Tamayo paused for emphasis. "That it has been three years… Since you have 'gotten some'! Damn Misakichi! I will tell you what, I will let you borrow Kotarou for a night!"

Both Misaki and Kotarou nearly jumped out of their skin. That is not the response they were expecting.

"What?" The two screeched in unison.

"Sure!" Tamayo said with a sly grin on her face. "Not only is he great in the sack, but you have wanted to do it since the day you met him twenty years ago!"

Tamayo watched her two oldest friends squirm in their seats and babble incoherently until she couldn't take it anymore and she fell over the table laughing. Misaki and Kotarou both calmed down and just sat watching her laugh.

"After twenty years… You two are… still… exactly the same!" Tamayo managed to say in-betweens fits of laughter.

"That wasn't very nice you know, putting us on the spot like that." Misaki said in a half-serious tone."

At that moment the kitchen door opened and Ichriou and what looked like a shaved Ogata with pantyhose stretched over his entire body walked out.

"What's so funny?" Ichirou asked in his normal tone, acting as if it was not surprised in the least about the two visitors.

oooooooooooooooo

Oujurou had just made what felt like the biggest mistake of his life, he regained consciousness. From head to toe every part of him hurt, but by far his left arm hurt the most.

"Damn, some magic healing abilities would sure be nice right now." He said to himself while trying to assess his injuries. Within several minuets he had determined that he was going to be fine, especially seeing as how there was no way in hell he should have survived in the first place. _It must have been because I was unconscious. _He thought to himself. _I was tossed around like an angel in a shoebox, but being limp helped keep me from getting hurt._

After convincing himself that his arm just had a hairline fracture Oujirou made his way back to the front of the plane, hoping the pilot had been as lucky as he had. Oujirou's hopes were dashed before ever making it to the cockpit by the stream of blood slowly making it way down the floor. Upon entering the cockpit Oujirou found exactly what he had feared, the pilots body brutally impaled by a large piece of shrapnel. Oujirou closed the pilot's eyes and said a little prayer requesting that his soul go to a better place.

Once finished Oujirou located the largest hole in the bulkhead and slowly climbed out. To his surprise and dismay the plane had only crashed meters from the barrier that he himself helped create. After a short walk Oujirou sat himself down on a small pile of rubble and stared at scene before him.

Oujirou knew how the barrier functioned, what it looked like, and what it did; however, witnessing it firsthand filled him with a sense of accomplishment and dread. Just beyond the barrier lie hundreds, if not thousands of the ugliest damn demons he had ever seen.

No two oni are ever the same, some are only a meter tall, while other may be more the four meters in height. Some oni have claws, some have tails; while others have appendages humans don't even have words for. About the only thing the all of the oni have in common is their color, whether it be fur or feathers all of them share the same shade of obsidian Black. Just looking at them filled Oujirou with dismay.

"You deserve a vacation he said" Oujirou mumbled to himself. "no one deserves it more then you he said. Next time I'm going to make sure Mata-kun is the one who 'goes on vacation'".

Looking around Oujirou decided that the plane must have been pretty well on course and crashed just inside the Wakayama prefecture. _Well I am a long way from home, _He thought to himself. _But at least I know someone close by._

Cradling his injured arm as best he could Oujirou started off toward the house of an old friend.

oooooooooooooooo

After Ogata had left in humiliation Icchan had sat down at the table with his oldest friends and joined in on the conversation. The conversation went as expected with five years of catching up to do. Each person couldn't help but be impressed and slightly frightened by how much their friends had endured in such a sort amount of time.

"So Icchan, what have you been up to for all this time?" Kotarou asked, not really expecting a straight answer.

Icchan just smiled and fingered his glasses in his trademark manor that made them glare so bad that you couldn't see through them.

"He's been sending a cripple to scrounge for parts all day!" Misaki blurted out before Icchan had a chance to answer. Misaki flinched as Tamayo and Kotarou snapped their heads around and gave Icchan an evil glare, causing poor Icchan to nearly jump out of his skin.

"Nya, I was just kidding guys," Misaki said with a weak chuckle. "It's not so bad, really! Anyway I am sure whatever he is doing with the parts it's important."

Once Tamayo and Kotarou's gaze let up Icchan settled back in to his seat and attempted to speak once more.

"That's right, It is important."

"So what is it?" Tamayo asked.

"It is…" Icchan said before pausing for suspense. Misaki, Kotarou and Tamayo all three leaned over of table in anticipation of what he was going to say. "A secret." He finished.

Misaki and Kotarou both face faulted straight into the table. Tamayo burst out in anger.

"Why you!" Tamayo yelled while getting ready to climb over the table and deck him. Luckily Kotarou was ready for this and reached over and stopped her without his face ever leaving the table.

"Anyway, you will all find out tomorrow." Icchan said with a smile. I promise that you won't be disappointed. The three old friends seemed satisfied with this answer, and moved on with their discussion.

"Kotarou?" Misaki said timidly. She had wanted to talk to Kotarou about this since he first arrived, but she was afraid of what she might hear.

"Yeah?"

"Have you heard from your sister? Do you know where Hatoko is?" There, she said it. A sad look came over both Kotarou and Tamayo's face before she got her answer.

"Yeah. She's dead."

"What? How do you know?" Misaki said in a near yell.

"You know as well as I do that she was in America when things started to get bad, and according to all military reports the only humans left alive are right here in Japan." Kotaro said while trying to keep his emotions in check.

"But why? Why didn't she come back?"

"It was a year and a half ago when I last talked to her," Kotarou explained. "America was working on a bomb, and Hatoko just knew it was going to work. You know how stubborn she could be when she makes up her mind. She said she would come back and visit when this war is over…"

An akward silence filled the room while they all recalled their own memories of their good friend. Countless minuets passed before anyone said a word.

"It is getting late." Icchan said to break the silence. "We are all going to have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Let's get some rest."


End file.
